10 April 2017

This new scoping paper focuses on the significant volume of organic waste flowing through urban environments

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation launches today a new scoping paper, Urban Biocycles, at the annual Forum for the Future of Agriculture (FFA2017) in Brussels. Dame Ellen MacArthur will introduce the paper during an afternoon keynote session at the event.

Urban Biocycles was produced in collaboration with the World Economic Forum as part of Project MainStream. This new scoping paper focuses on the significant volume of organic waste flowing through urban environments, and highlights opportunities to capture value in the form of the energy, nutrients and materials, by applying circular economy principles.

Organic waste, from municipal solid waste streams and wastewater from sewage systems, is traditionally seen as a costly economic and environmental problem. The paper draws on case studies from the US and Europe to explore the idea that designing more effective recovery and processing systems can reverse this equation, turning organic waste into a source of value and helping to restore natural capital.